First time casting boolits

[Plaxen]

Hey guys i was on ebay looking for dies and i came across molds and i went to you tube to see how its done and it looks pretty damn easy.

So i went out bought a bucket of wheel weights from a tire shop and the lee production pot along with the .45 mold and ingot mold


here are some pics

Now i am wondering if yall have a tips or ticks of the trade to make things faster/easier.

And i had one question why are there lines (layers) on the bullets. I am thinking the temp of the lead should have been higher( i set it to 5 on the production pot).

Thanks in advance,

Mark

[Blammer]

yep, flux your lead a bit more, get your mould HOTTER, not the lead melt, but your mould.

You should be able to cast them and they'll be all smooth and shiney.

IF you have to count to 3 before the sprue hardens up you may be just about right on the temp, or a tad too hot.

Casting faster will get the mould temp up too.

[thauge]

A word of advice using a Lee pot from another newbie. Get a lead thermometer. They don't hold temps constant, so you will have to adjust your power setting occasionally. Also, if you are using Lee molds, don't smoke em like Lee says but do heat them up prior to casting. I just dip the end of the mold in the lead for a few minuets, then start casting. The first couple casts are just to even out the heat on the mold, so I throw them back into the pot. The rule I found out here (thanks to all these guys) is if your boolits are wrinkled, the mold is too cold. If they are frosted, the mold is too hot.

[Cherokee]

You are on your way. Mould should be hotter. I preheat mine on a hot plate. I run my Lee 20# at top heat but YMMV.

[Bullwolf]

I read here about a suggestion for using some kind of mould warmer.

While others have made some really neat ones, I just use a old rusty skill saw blade on top of an inexpensive electric hot plate. It doubles nicely as an ingot pre-warmer as well.

Picture of my hot plate mould warmer set up.


You can make it as hi tech as you want, or cheap out like I did.

I pre-heat my mould and ingots on the hotplate, while my melt warms up. If I have to stop my casting rhythm for some reason, I just put the mould back on the hot plate.

This way I don't have to cast a bunch of reject wrinkled boolits while trying to warm up the mould. I get good looking keepers, and less discards right from the start this way.

Pic of some 45 boolits cast with my Lee TL452-230-2R mould & hotplate.






- Bullwolf

[MtGun44]

The STANDARD answer to the first question of a caster is:

"Because your mold is dirty and/or your mold is too cold."

Always is and always was.

Bill

[Mlt2]

I agree looks like the mold might be to cold. I have the Lyman big dipper kit and I love it. I like the lee molds also. I like to get the mold up to temp and once I start casting I like to place my bullet drop place a few feet from my melting pot. So by the time I take a few steps and drop the new bullet I don't have to wait for the spur plate to cool. After you do this a little u will find what works best for you. Just be safe and don't forget to have fun!!

[375RUGER]

Welcome to Castboolits. You've definately come to the right place for help. Reading the stickys is a good place to learn a lot in a little time. It will be time much better spent then looking at youtube for the answers you seek.
Word of advise if you use a hotplate to preheat your ingots, make sure the temp is below the melting point of the lead.

[digger44]

your bullet needs to be poured in 1 fluid motion. once the pour into the mold begins dont pause and then pour again, this will also cause layers in a bullet.

[Tazman1602]

Mold and/or mix is too cold man. Get a $10 hotplate at Walgreens and use it to preheat your molds. Even then you may need to make a few pours to get it up to temp. Just keep on a throwing those bullets, sooner or later you'll get it down.

There's a TON of information on this board too. Since you're using a Lee mold you could dip a corner of the mold IN your hot mix to get it to temp. When bullets get "frosty" looking you're getting to the hot side of things.

Also what Bill said, take an old toothbrush and some dishwashing liquid and make sure that mold is CLEAN before you cast with it.

............and welcome to the best forum on the 'net!

Art

[RobS]

The STANDARD answer to the first question of a caster is:

"Because your mold is dirty and/or your mold is too cold."

Always is and always was.

Bill

+1 on this one. Wrinkled boolits is because of one or the other........or could be both. Also a new aluminum mold can sometimes take a few sessions before it will settle in and cast as it should.

[Plaxen]

Wow thanks i will try the hot plate and look into a thermometer... i assume the temp should be around 700F?

[Wayne Smith]

The temp of your melt should be between 700 and 800 depending on the mold. Brass likes it hotter. Your mold should be around 300-350, I think. More experienced guys who measure the temp of their olds should be along to correct my guess.

[popper]

bucket of wheel weights from a tire shop

Watch out for zinc! Hotter mould, alloy temp 700-750, as cool as it will pour well and maintain a good stream, don't dribble. You have shiny, wrinkled (abnormal - I haven't seen any like those) and poor fillout, rounded lube grooves.

[Wilkie]

A thermometer really has helped me. I keep the melt at 750. I use lee molds as well. There is a happy zone in the temp on the mold. Don't worry if the boolitis are frosted. Lube them and shoot them.